Electrical devices of various types have been proposed in which a master circuit or electrical operating system of some kind, such as a computer system, is activated by use of a portable device that is designed to cooperate, coact or to be combined with the electrical system, as by insertion into a slot or the like which is designed to receive the device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,569 entitled MICROELECTRONIC MEMORY KEY WITH RECEPTACLE AND SYSTEMS THEREFOR issued to William P. Flies on Oct. 27, 1981 and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, relates generally to such systems. It is specifically concerned with electrical key-like devices which carry data in the form of microelectronic circuit components. Electrical connection of a computer system or the like is established with the key-like device by inserting the device into a specially designed electrical receptacle in which the key-like device is turned to establish direct connection between electrical contacts on its surface and electrical contacts in the receptacle which communicate with the operating system to which the receptacle is connected. The subject matter of the patent is incorporated herein by reference.
This invention is concerned generally with such portable insertion devices and such operating systems. However, it is specifically concerned with electrical tag-like devices or other shaped insertion devices and electrical receptacles specifically adapted to receive such insertion devices and establish electrical contact therewith by simple straightforward insertion into the receptacle with the aid of a simple pushing motion to lock the insertion device into a contact position in the receptacle without the need for a key-like turning motion to accomplish this end. This is generally referred to as bayonet-type insertion.
Such bayonet-type insertion devices are preferably flat taglike devices although a wide variety of other shapes may be utilized. When the term "tag" is utilized herein, it is to be taken as referring to the wide variety of insertion devices generally possible within the framework of this invention and not merely to substantially flat taglike devices, although the latter type and associated receptacle represent the preferred embodiment of the invention.
Likewise, the receptacle may be connected electrically to a wide variety of various operating systems. The electrical system with which the receptacle is typically used will take the form of a computer, that is, an electrical circuit means including a program memory and a processor.
The insertion devices utilized with the receptacle described herein include exposed electrical contacts which mate with electrical contacts in the receptacle. The insertion device contacts originate inside the body of the insertion device where they are connected to an electrical circuit element such as a microelectronic chip or the like. Such microelectronic circuit elements may comprise random access memory devices of the EPROM (erasible programmable memory), ROM (read only memory), PROM (programmable read only memory) and EAROM (electrically alterable read only memory) or a magnetic domain memory such as bubble memory may all be used depending upon the specific overall system design desired.
The insertion devices described hereinabove provide relatively large amounts of data bit storage with very fast access time and in a very durable medium. They not only serve to store data and introduce it into a computer or other electrical control system, but also provide portability for electronic circuit elements and stored information. The receptacle described herein is a critical element in interconnecting the insertion device with the electrical control system with which it is intended to cooperate.